Office of InnovationYour Voice, Your Shot Video Contest
Your Voice, Your Shot, a citizen engagement campaign, was a video contest to support the State’s efforts to combat COVID-19. New Jerseyans submitted videos sharing their reasons for getting vaccinated and encouraged others to do the same. The winning video, chosen by the public, was used in New Jersey’s COVID-19 public health campaign. This work was executed as part of the SmarterNJ Initiative.
Challenge
As COVID-19 vaccines were becoming widely available to most Americans, many people – particularly those in vulnerable communities – remained hesitant to get vaccinated, and vaccinating the vast majority of New Jerseyans was critical to saving millions of lives. The State needed creative solutions to encourage members of the public to get vaccinated.
Innovation In Action
Research has shown that some of the most effective messengers to win over the vaccine hesitant were local community members. So as an alternative to top-down communications, OOI empowered residents to share their own messages with others on social media using #YourVoiceYourShotNJ and fostered a sense of shared responsibility by crowdsourcing and voting on videos.
Impact + Metrics
- The contest received 29 video entries, 3 finalists were selected, and more than 1,955 New Jerseyans voted for their favorite. The winning video was featured in a paid social media campaign that reached over 220,000 individuals generating more than 1 million impressions.
Status
- The contest concluded in June of 2021.
Resources and Additional Reading
Partners
- Office of the Governor
- New Jersey State Department of Health
Last updated on 10/26/23
